Corruption
by Matt Guthrie
Summary: Two American exchange students come to Hogwarts in the wake of Voldemort's return and wind up with so much more than they had bargained for. This story takes place thoughout OOTP, but probably won't completely follow it. It will be dark in places. T for violence, mild language, underage drinking, some depressing stuff and some torture scenes. Co-written with xSoulfirexCrookshanksx.
1. Departure

**Hi girls/guys! After spending a good while in the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom, I've decided to start writing Harry Potter fanfiction again. I really hope you enjoy this collaboration project. **

**I wrote the first chapter. xSoulfirexCrookshanksx will write the second one. The plan is for us to alternate. Ammon is my OC, while Avery is hers. I created the supporting OCs that will appear in this chapter. **

**We do not own Harry Potter. Enjoy the first chapter! If you feel led to review this, please do so. **

**Note: The Sarah Good Academy of Magic is named after one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials. Also, Headmaster Gray Sky is a Navajo Indian. **

_Let's see…Books, wand, Hogwarts robes, potions supplies…_Inside his head, Ammon Pendleton went through a checklist of the things he packed, not for the first time that week. _…My owl's here, I've got my quill, all the parchment I need and then some…_He continued to run through everything and saw that he had it all. _Okay! I'm ready! _

He opened the door to his room and started to push the loaded cart out of there. He stopped at the staircase just outside his door and, with a couple quick flicks of his wand, leveled them out to create a ramp. _Okay…Now let's do this without crashing into the wall for once. _

Ammon made his way down the ramp carefully, trying to go neither too fast or too slow. Too slow would seriously test the patience of his family, which was waiting on him, and too fast would send him and the cart careening into the wall, which would almost certainly make him have to pack again. He had already re-packed four times, and did not wish to make it a fifth.

Before too long, he had made it down without crashing. However, the gray and white cat at the bottom of the ramp did not notice the wheels until they ran right over its tail. It screeched and ran away, hiding underneath the couch.

"Oh! Sorry, Gandalf! I didn't see you there!" Ammon called to the cat, which he had named after a wizard from a muggle book trilogy he read a few years ago.

"Ammon, are you ready?" A tall witch with jet black hair asked him. "Your father and sister are waiting for you outside."

"Yeah, I've got everything."

Ammon pushed his cart to the door, followed by his mother. The woman opened the door with a couple flicks of her wand, and soon enough she and her son were both out of the house. Ammon took one last look back through the open door before closing it, again with magic.

"Does have everything he needs?" Asked a wiry man with longish, sandy hair and glasses over his gray eyes.

"Yes, Orion," The witch replied, "He packed several times to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything."

Orion gestured to a twelve-year-old girl with straight, dark hair and icy blue eyes very much like her mother's. Like Ammon, she had a cart full of school supplies. "Avery's all packed, too, so I guess we're all set."

"Yes we are," The older witch said as she walked up next to her husband. "Lumos." A bright light emitted from her wand, cutting through the darkness of the early morning. "Let's go. The portkey is just a couple of blocks away."

She and Orion led the way, while Ammon and Avery followed with their carts. _Well, _Ammon thought, _Hogwarts, here I come! _

Last year, Ammon won the exchange student competition at his school, the Sarah Good Academy of Magic, located in Salem, Massachusetts. This earned him a year of education at the much more renowned Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft in Scotland, with all of his schoolbooks and everything paid for by the school. For the first time, his family did not have to spend a sickle on anything.

At least, not for him. Pendleton family excursions had increasingly become bonding experiences between Avery and her parents, with Ammon eschewing family time in favor of his friends and studies. Hardly did he speak to his mother, father, or sister anymore, even when he was home. In short, he was practically a stranger in his own home.

Because of this, Orion opted to have Avery transfer for a year from the Sarah Good Academy to Hogwarts. At first, the transfer was blocked by faculty at the Academy, but after Avery took some summer classes from home to pick up her grades, it fell through. Now, Avery was going to Hogwarts with her older brother as the renowned school's youngest ever exchange student.

Before too long, a pond came into view to the family's right. Standing by what appeared to be a muggle toolbox was a man holding a wand, using the lumos spell. He was an elderly Native American man, dressed in long-sleeved Native American clothing instead of traditional wizard robes. Twin black braids were thrown over his shoulders, falling about to his waist. He waved at the family, beckoning them to join.

He greeted every one of them as they approached. "Hello Ammon, Avery, Orion, and Callisto." All of them returned the greeting with a smile and a handshake.

"Headmaster Gray Sky…Not that I don't appreciate this, but what are you doing here? Didn't the semester begin last week?"

"It's a Sunday, meaning no classes. Besides, this is the first time ever that the Sarah Good Academy has sent more than one exchange student to Hogwarts. I couldn't not come to see you two off. Also, you can probably already tell, but that toolbox is the portkey." The Headmaster then turned to Orion and Callisto. "You two must be extremely proud of your children."

"Believe me," Orion replied, "We are. Both of them have worked very hard for this opportunity."

"They've earned it," Callisto agreed.

"Indeed they have."

Gray Sky turned to Avery. "Good luck at Hogwarts. If you need anything, send an owl either to me or to your parents. And please; do not go into the Forbidden Forest outside the school. I'd rather you not have a repeat of the labyrinth incident. Hogwarts is stricter than the Sarah Good Academy."

Avery nodded in reply, remembering the night she had wandered into the labyrinth underneath the Sarah Good Academy and got totally lost. A week of nightly detention taught her not to venture back down there.

Now Gray Sky turned to Ammon. "You keep up the good work you've been doing the past five years." He handed Ammon an envelope. "Also, your friends asked me to give you this. They thought it would be quicker than sending it with an owl."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"If you find yourself having a difficult time, feel free to send me an owl. I'll see what I can do to help."

"I appreciate that." Ammon gave Gray Sky a grateful smile and shook his hand. _Will Dumbledore care about his students as much as Gray Sky does? _

"I will see you two next school year at the very latest." And with that, Gray Sky apparated away, leaving Ammon and Avery to say their goodbyes to their parents.

"We're going to miss both of you," Orion said, hugging both of his children. "You two stay on top of your work and stay out of trouble, okay? Ammon, I doubt you'll have much of a problem with either. If your sister's having a hard time, help her out. You got that?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"I'll miss you, sweetie," Callisto said to Avery, enveloping her in a tight hug, "Write to me every week, okay?"

"Okay, mom," Avery replied, looking simultaneously apprehensive and excited about her extended stay abroad.

Callisto now turned her attention to her eldest, taking him firmly by the shoulders. "You take care of Avery."

"I will." Ammon noticed a doubting look in his mother's eyes. "What?"

"That's what you said last year, when she went off on her own into the labyrinth."

Under different circumstances, Ammon would have sighed in exasperation. _Seriously? She still blames me for that? _"It'll be different this time."

"I hope so."

Ammon nodded and, without even a hug goodbye, walked over to the portkey with his cart. He and Avery took one last look back at their parents, exchanging waves with them, then both touched the portkey. Both were yanked forward by a very powerful force. Winds that would make any hurricane look like a mild storm pounded at them for a few seconds terrifying seconds that seemed to last a few minutes.

The landing was much cleaner, as it was on a lush, grassy field somewhere in England. Ammon deduced that it was mid-morning in England, but still extremely early in America, where most people were presumably still asleep. No bones were broken, although some of Ammon and Avery's books fell out of the cart and onto the ground. Putting them back in the carts proved no issue thanks to their wands.

Behind them, they heard a sharp crack. Turning around, they saw a graying wizard in formal-looking robes, standing a few feet away from them.

"Do you two have names?"

"I'm Ammon Pendleton, and this is my sister Avery."

"Avery Pendleton?"

"Yes." _That's kind of a stupid question._

"Are you two the Ammon Curtis Pendleton and Avery Christine Pendleton I have listed?"

"That's us," Ammon replied, hoping he had succeeded in veiling his impatience.

"Both of you hand me your passports."

Ammon and Avery did what they were told. The older wizard looked at Avery's moving photograph that was found on her passport, then at Avery herself. He turned his attention to Ammon's photograph, then at Ammon himself.

"Yes, you're definitely them." He tapped both passports a few times, then handed them back. "Here, you are now officially permitted by the British Ministry of Magic to move about the United Kingdom. You two are here to attend Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, yes?"

"Yeah, that's where we're going," Ammon replied. _What? All the books aren't a dead giveaway?_

The wizard nodded. "I see. I've been ordered to take the two of you to the King's Cross station and escort you to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. That is where you will board the Hogwarts Express."

"Got it," Ammon replied.

"Have either of you side-along Apparated before?" Both Pendleton siblings nodded in affirmation. "Good, so you already know what to do. Just don't forget to make sure everything is secured."

Ammon and Avery both made sure their things were secured, then grabbed either sleeve of the man's robes. In an instant, everything went dark, and they were overcome with the feeling of being pulled in every different direction at the same time. Once it was over, they found themselves in dark closet.

The older wizard used an illumination charm to find the doorknob, then opened the door, leading them out of the closet. As they walked, they passed many muggles, who paid no attention to them. Likewise, they did not pay any attention to the muggles.

Ammon and Avery counted every platform they passed. By platform five, they began to see more people in wizard robes instead of muggle clothes. Some youths between the ages of eleven and seventeen were pushing loaded carts much like the ones Ammon and Avery were handling. More and more wizards and witches came into view until they got between platforms nine and ten.

Avery frowned, not seeing a sign that read, **Platform 9 3/4**. "Where's…?"

"Right there," The older wizard replied, pointing to a barrier between platforms nine and ten. Ammon and Avery both watched as a brown-haired girl pushed her cart into the barrier and seemingly disappeared. "Do exactly what they're doing, and you'll find the Hogwarts Express. Don't be afraid, I did this seven times when I was young like you two. The very worst that could happen is that you miss the eleven o'clock deadline and make fools out of yourselves in front of many muggles passing by, although, seeing as how it's about ten fifty right now, you don't have to worry about that."

"Great," Ammon replied, "We'll take it from here. Thanks."

"Just doing my job." With that, the wizard disapparated.

Ammon turned to Avery. "After you." However, Avery stayed rooted to the ground, eyeing the barrier apprehensively.

"Do you want me to go first to show you it's safe?" Ammon asked. Avery nodded in affirmation. "Suit yourself."

Ammon started to push his cart toward the barrier, accelerating quickly. _This is crazy! We never rammed barriers to get across in America! _However, a few seconds later, he had made it safely across, with a large locomotive to his right being boarded by many students. A few seconds later, Avery appeared at his side.

"Well," Ammon said, "I guess this is it. We're really on our way to Hogwarts now. Let's board that train and find some seats."

As he led Avery onto the train, Ammon grinned broadly, knowing how jealous his American friends would be when he returned for Christmas with all of his stories. Although he and Avery did not know it, both were in for more than they anticipated. So much more.


	2. Hogwarts

**We do not own Harry Potter. Just a few OCs. **

Chapter 2

Harry Potter felt an odd sense of loss as he watched his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, drag their trunks towards the front of the train where the Prefects sat. Now it was where they sat, as they had been made Prefects themselves last year, and although he was very happy for them, Harry had a feeling he might not be seeing them as often as he used to. The thought made him sad, but he pushed it away, remembering that he had his other friends, including Ginny, Ron's little sister, and Neville Longbottom.

As if the thought had summoned her, Ginny appeared at Harry's shoulder. Come on," she encouraged. "If we get a move on we can save them some seats."

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded. "Right," he said abruptly; he grabbed his trunk in one hand, Hedwig's cage in the other, and followed the redheaded girl down the corridor in search of an empty seat. In the last carriage they mat Neville, whose face was strained from the effort of pulling his trunk along while keeping Trevor the struggling toad in a tight grip.

"Hi Harry, Ginny," he greeted them breathlessly. "Everywhere is full… can't find a seat…"

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, glancing to her left. "There's room here. There's only Loony Lovegood…"

Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hi Luna," she said, with a halfhearted grin. "Can we take these seats?"

Luna looked up slowly, her pale eyes regarding them with faint interest. Harry could see at once why Neville had chosen to overlook this compartment. Luna had an obvious aura of dottiness about her. Her waist length dirty blonde hair was scraggly, she had her wand behind her left ear, and the magazine she was reading was upside down. She let her gaze wander over the three newcomers with her pale eyes, and when they settled on Ginny, she nodded.

"Thanks," Ginny said, and the three of them piled into the compartment and sat down.

Harry instantly wished he chosen a different seat; as it were, he was directly across from Luna, whose unblinking eyes regarded him with indifferent curiosity. It was quite unsettling, and he started slightly when she spoke.

"I know you," she murmured in a dreamy voice. "You're Harry Potter."

"I know I am," Harry replied slowly, suppressing a snicker at her naivety. Of course she knew him, everyone at the school knew him.

Neville, listening to every word, couldn't suppress his slightly amused snort at Luna's comment. The pale Ravenclaw girl turned her gaze from Harry—to his relief—and onto Neville. "I don't know you," she commented.

"I'm nobody," Neville said quickly, a bit panicked.

"Of course you're not," Ginny protested hotly. "He's Neville Longbottom, I'm Ginny Weasley, and you already know Harry—"

She broke off when someone tapped on the door of their compartment. Harry glanced up to see a boy about his age and a girl younger than Ginny standing outside the door, looking quite embarrassed to be bothering, but they didn't move when Ginny stood and pulled the door open.

The older boy spoke. "Hey… um, I was just wondering if there was any room in here… Everywhere else is full and we don't know anyone yet. " His stormy grey eyes implored them hopefully, and Ginny turned to make sure no one would object to their joining them.

"We can make room if Ron and Hermione come back," Harry consented, and Neville agreed. Luna didn't say anything, just watched them, paying slightly more attention to the boy's wavy, mid-back length hair, which seemed confused as to whether it was supposed to be dark brown or blond. Ginny nodded and moved aside to admit the two.

"Thank you," the boy said gratefully as they stepped in. "There was only one other place, but the three boys there wouldn't let us join them. Said they were too busy 'making plans.'" He sat down in the seat across from Harry—Harry had slid over in his seat unnoticed—and the girl sat next to him, her eyes wary.

Ginny was first to introduce herself, then proceeded to do the same for everyone else. When she had said what year everyone was and what house they were in, she asked, "So, who are you two? I don't think I've seen you before, but I don't know the entire school. What house are you from?"

"I'm Ammon Pendleton, and this is my sister Avery," he replied. "This is actually our first year at Hogwarts, but we were transferred from the Sarah Good Academy of Magic. We're exchange students. Back in America, I'm in the house of Lockwood. Avery's in the house of Sturgis."

Ginny nodded. "How do they sort people over in America?"

"The teachers will use a form of occlumency to get a feel for the personality of the student, who is then sorted based on that information. The house of Lockwood is for the ones most hungry for knowledge. The house of Sturgis is for the most bold. The house of Culpepper is for the loyal and friendly. The house of Van Buren is where the most persistent of people are sorted. What about Hogwarts?"

Harry explained Hogwarts' four houses. Ammon found the similarities between Sturgis and Gryffindor, Lockwood and Ravenclaw, and Culpepper and Hufflepuff to be rather striking. However, the Slytherins were not quite similar to the Van Burens.

"Nearly every dark wizard who came from Hogwarts was in Slytherin," Harry explained. "It dates back to when one of the founders, Salazar Slytherin, asked the other founders to stop admitting Muggle-born students. They objected to this, and eventually a sort of civil war broke out between his house and the others. He eventually was forced to leave Hogwarts and never return. But to this day, there's still a rift between the Slytherin students and those of the other houses."

Ammon frowned, troubled by the fact that a dispute from a millennia ago had caused such lasting friction. Of course, houses at the Sarah Good Academy would sometimes take their quidditch rivalries a little too far, but such tension never lasted too terribly long. And it certainly was not the case that one house had a much worse reputation than the others; aside from Culpepper, the houses had turned out nearly identical numbers of dark wizards over the years.

Ginny changed the subject to something a little less somber. "Tell us about yourselves. How did you get your magic?" She paused momentarily. "Not that it'll affect our opinion of you, but are you purebloods?"

"Yes and no," Ammon replied. "Our mom and dad both have magic, but our family line is weird from Mom's side. One generation will have magic, but the next is usually full of squibs. The generation after that also lacks magic, but the one following has it, and then the cycle repeats. Except in this case, it skipped a generation because our dad came from a pureblood family." He chuckled. "Dad never did care much for pureblood tradition, or any sort of tradition for that matter."

Avery was quick-perhaps suspiciously quick-to change the subject, even though she had not said a word earlier. "What's Hogwarts like?"

* * *

That one question lasted the entire journey, as the newcomers listened intently to the others' descriptions of everything that happened at the school. The subject went from classes to teachers, and Hogsmeade and Holidays, the Forbidden Forest, spells, fellow students, magical creatures, legends, and everything else. While Harry and Ginny did most of the talking, Neville often piped in to add his part and Luna even commented a few times. Halfway through Harry's explanation of Quidditch, the snack cart came by, and soon they were all munching on Pumpkin Pastries, Chocolate Frogs, and the famous Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Following Ammon's unfortunate discovery of a vomit flavored bean ("This somehow tastes even worse than my Aunt Venus' sweet potato casserole!" He shuddered.), an incredible challenge game ensued in which each person had to guess a particular beans' flavor, then see if they guessed correctly. Not one was guessed right, and it wasn't long before everyone had tears streaming down their faces from laughing so hard.

All too soon, the trains' first whistle sounded, announcing the nearing of their destination. Harry heard Ammon's faint gasp as the castle came into view and saw the look of wonder on his and Avery's face. He grinned to himself, remembering how amazed he himself had been when he arrived his first year.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as his friends started pulling their luggage out of the overhead racks. They had changed earlier so now they were all wearing their black robes as the train slowed, then came to a stop. The corridor was soon very crowded as everyone piled out of their compartments, heading towards the exits. Harry and the others slipped into the throng, dragging their luggage behind them.

As they stepped into the evening air, Harry automatically glanced around, listening for the familiar call of "Firs' years this way!" After a moment of no luck, he asked no one in particular, "Where's Hagrid?"

"Not sure," Ginny replied distractedly, trying to find Ron and Hermione in the crowd of faces.

Harry suddenly heard a voice calling to the first years (and this time, exchange students as well), but it wasn't Hagrid's. Closer inspection told him the brisk female voice belonged to Professor Grubbly-Plank, the professor who had replaced Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. Disappointed, and also a bit worried, Harry and the others started walking in the opposite direction, he trying to convince himself that his half-giant friend was okay.

Soon free of the thickest crowd, they spotted a hundred or so horseless carriages lined up a short ways away. Harry started to turn around, then did a double take. The horseless coaches were no longer horseless! Standing between the carriage shafts were creatures Harry had never seen before. They had looked like horses at first glance, but he realized they had not flesh at all. Their dark cots hung on pale bones and two massive black wings sprouted from the withers, bat-like. Harry wondered why they were allowed to pull the carriages when they could pull themselves just fine.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Ron appeared at his shoulder, trying to see what Harry was staring at. He must have arrived without Harry realizing it.

"Do you see them?" Harry demanded, pointing at the odd black creatures. Ron followed his gaze, then gave Harry a confused look.

"See what?" he asked, letting his gaze scan the area, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"The black creatures pulling the carts! Don't you see them?"

Harry got the sinking feeling that his friend couldn't see them, and his suspicion was confirmed when Ron shook his head slowly and said, "They've always pulled themselves."

As he followed his friends towards the carriages, Harry couldn't help but wonder if he was seeing things. If Ron didn't see the creatures, and no one else even acknowledged them…

"You're not crazy. I can see them too." He started slightly when Luna Lovegood's dreamy voice sounded behind him. She too was gazing intently at the nearest black horse with her pale eyes; it regarded her with no sign of emotion, its dark, unblinking eyes eerily blank. "Don't worry; you're just as a sane as I am."

Harry didn't say anything. He was slightly relieved that he wasn't the only one who could see them, but he was far from reassured.

After the ride up to the castle, everyone was ushered quickly into the Great Hall. Harry found himself hoping Ammon and Avery would get sorted into Gryffindor, although he did not expect that Ammon would be. After all, at the Sarah Good Academy, he was considered one of the brightest students in the American version of Ravenclaw. _Why would it be any different over here? _

Ginny was ushered over by some of her friends from the previous year, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione found a seat at a different area of the Gryffindor table. They all noticed grimly that Hagrid hadn't shown up yet, but Harry saw an obese woman with short, curly brown hair and a toad-like face sitting at the teacher's table where his former Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating Alastor Moody, was last year. Ron saw a look of recognition spread across Harry's face.

"You know her?" He asked.

"It's that Umbridge woman!" Harry whispered in reply, being careful not to be overheard, "She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge."

Hermione frowned. "If she works for the Minister of Magic, then what could…No. No way. Of course not…"

Harry opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but before he could, the hall fell silent, as Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, entered, followed by the first years and the Pendleton siblings. In one hand she held an old, battered hat, in the other a small stool; she set them up at the front of the hall where all four houses could see it. Everyone watched with bated breath as a rip opened in the hat and began its song:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The Founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!"

The Four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might someday be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name,"

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,

And treat them just the same."

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A House in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-blood wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor,

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the Houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But the discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with dueling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

And they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfill my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you..

Let the sorting now begin.

The hat fell silent and applause broke throughout the hall; however, for the first time in Harry's memory, it was accompanied by whispers and mutterings.

"I wonder if its ever given warnings like that before," Hermione said anxiously.

"Yes indeed, it has," Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor Ghost, responded matter-of-factly. "The hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels-"

But Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first-years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. Nearly Headless Nick placed a see-through finger to his lips and sat primly upright again as the muttering came to an abrupt end. With a last frowning look that swept the four house tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out the first name.

"Abercrombie, Euan."

Harry watched as a scared-looking first year he had seen on the train earlier walked nervously up to the hat, put it on, and sat down. After a moment, the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!" and Euan went over to the Gryffindor table, a huge grin plastered on his face. Harry applauded with the others. Then he began to notice something. As McGonagall got further down her list, he realized that a suspiciously high number of students were being sorted into Slytherin. Thinking hard about it, an idea of what might be going on started to form in his mind, but it was quickly forgotten when he heard McGonagall call out "Pendleton, Ammon."

Ammon, obviously a lot older than a first year, was unfazed by the whispers that followed him to the front. The hat fit him perfectly, unlike those previously sorted, but hardly needed more than a couple of seconds to make its decision.

"Ravenclaw!"

Slightly disappointed, but also relieved that his friend hadn't been sorted into the dreaded Slytherin, Harry clapped loudly for his friend. However, he saw that Ammon did not immediately get up to join the Ravenclaw table.

"Please," He whispered, "Sort my sister into Ravenclaw."

"I sort students according to their traits. Not by family. Now go join the other Ravenclaws."

Somewhat nervously, Ammon did as he was told, sitting next to Luna. He waited anxiously as his sister sat down on the stool and put the Sorting Hat on. _Please, if you don't sort her into Ravenclaw, at least put her in Gryffindor!_ After a moment, it called out her house, and he nearly cried out in dismay.

"Slytherin!"

A few more students were sorted into Slytherin before the sorting ended. The hat and stool were put away and Professor Dumbledore stepped forward to speak.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!'

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate - for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread and sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice.

"Excellent," said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to his plate, watched wistfully by Nearly Headless Nick.

"What were you saying before the Sorting?" Hermione asked the ghost. "About the Hat giving warnings?'

"Oh, yes," said Nick, who seemed glad of a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm. "Yes, I have heard the Hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within."

"Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" said Ron.

His mouth was so full Harry thought it was quite an achievement for him to make any noise at all.

"I beg your pardon?" said Nearly Headless Nick politely, while Hermione looked revolted. Ron gave an enormous swallow and said, "How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a Hat?"

"I have no idea," said Nearly Headless Nick. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the houses to be friends?" said Harry, looking over at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was holding court. "Fat chance."

"Well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude," said Nick reprovingly. "Peaceful co-operation, that's the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron."

"Only because you're terrified of him," said Ron.

Nearly Headless Nick looked highly affronted.

"Terrified? I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins-"

"What blood?" asked Ron. "Surely you haven't still got-?"

"It's a figure of speech!" said Nearly Headless Nick, now so annoyed his head was trembling ominously on his partially severed neck. "I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words I like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! But I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!"

"Nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" said Hermione, throwing a furious look at Ron.

Unfortunately, Ron's mouth was packed to exploding point again and all he could manage was "Node iddum eentup sechew," which Nick did not seem to think constituted an adequate apology. Rising into the air, he straightened his feathered hat and swept away from them to the other end of the table, coming to rest between the Creevey brothers, Colin and Dennis.

"Well done, Ron," snapped Hermione

"What?" said Ron indignantly, having managed, finally, to swallow his food. "I'm not allowed to ask a simple question?"

"Oh, forget it," said Hermione irritably, and the pair of them spent the rest of the meal in huffy silence.

Harry did not say anything, either. _Why is it so hard for the two of them to get along? _For years now, they had been by far Harry's closest friends. However, it was never pleasant to be around them when his tactlessness and her occasional bossiness clashed. Rather than try to break the tension, he looked around for Ammon and Avery.

Ammon was near the end of the Ravenclaw table, having nearly finished his meal. He was sitting across from Luna, and appeared to be listening to her. There was a half-smile on his face. Avery, on the other hand, hardly touched her food and did not talk to anyone. Harry frowned. _She didn't seem like the type to be sorted into Slytherin. _

Further down the table, Harry could just see Draco Malfoy chatting with some of his friends. Harry frowned when a smug grin spread across his face. _I wonder if he had anything to do with the hat. It's suspicious how many new Slytherin students there are this year. _He tried to remember the theory he had come up with just recently, but before he could, Dumbledore got to his feet.

"I beg a few moments of your attention for our start-of-term notices." In mere seconds, the students all became silent and turned their attention to the Headmaster. "First of all, ventures into the forest are not permitted. A few of you ought to know this by now."

Harry smirked at Ron and Hermione, remembering their several escapades into the dangerous forest. They both returned the look.

Dumbledore continued speaking. "Our caretaker Argus Filch has asked me, for what he claims is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to inform and remind you that magic is not permitted in the halls between classes. For a long list of other things that are not permitted, check Mr. Filch's office door. There are too many forbidden actions and items for me to list at present.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. First, we are rather pleased to welcome back Professor Grubby-Plank, who for the time being will handle Care for Magical Creatures lessons in lieu of Rubeus Hagrid."

Most of the students applauded politely but unenthusiastically. (Care for Magical Creatures was hardly a favorite subject among students.) Harry, Ron, and Hermione all exchanged worried glances. Harry could tell by the look in the eyes of both of his friends that they were thinking the same thing; "How long will Hagrid be gone?"

"We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place-"

He suddenly turned to Umbridge, who had gotten up from her seat. For a moment, he appeared surprised, but then sat down when it became apparent that she wanted to make a speech as well. The students and other Professors and staff all glanced around at each other in astonishment. New teachers never interrupted Dumbledore like this. Harry saw the astonished looks of several older students turn to smirks at her ignorance of how things were done at Hogwarts. Hermione's was one of them.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge practically squeaked, "for your ever so kind welcoming words." For a middle-aged woman, she had a surprisingly girlish voice that Harry could not stand. "It is so lovely to be back at Hogwarts!" She smiled, "And so nice to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Harry looked around and saw that hardly anyone's face was happy. He found it difficult to discern what bothered them more; the fact that she had upstaged Dumbledore, her voice, or the fact that they were being spoken to as if they were young children. _Are you blind, lady? _

"I'm so excited to get to know you all, and I just know that we'll be very good friends!" She paused momentarily to clear her throat. "Hem, hem!"

Now her voice began to sound less girlish and more businesslike. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young wizards amongst its top priorities. Your rare gifts with which you were born will not amount to anything if they are not perfected with careful instruction. The ancient skills…"

Harry lost focus as other students, accustomed to Dumbledore's speeches, began whispering and giggling amongst themselves. He saw Luna holding a magazine upside down and gesturing to it while speaking to Ammon. His guess was that she was explaining something in or about the magazine to him. Whatever it was, Ammon seemed not to find it odd; he nodded every now and then in understanding. The only other student Harry thought was really paying attention to Umbridge was, of course, Hermione.

Umbridge, however, seemed oblivious to the lack of attention. She just continued droning on through her speech, not unlike Professor Binns when he taught History. Harry wondered if it would take a full-scale riot to gain her attention.

Thankfully, she wrapped up her speech within the next five minutes and sat back down. Dumbledore clapped politely, as did the rest of the present staff. However, Harry noticed that they mostly only clapped once or twice. The students had just realized her speech was over, and before they could follow suit, Dumbledore stood back up.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge, for that enlightening speech." He turned back to the students. "Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held-"

"Yes, very enlightening indeed," Hermione muttered in a low voice.

Ron gave her an alarmed look. "You actually enjoyed that speech?" He whispered incredulously. "That was the dullest speech I've ever heard, even worse than anything Professor Binns or Percy could have come up with, and that's saying a lot!"

"I said enlightening, not enjoyable. The only thing worthwhile about listening to it is that it explained a lot."

"Didn't sound like it," Harry replied.

"She mentioned that 'progress for the sake thereof must be discouraged' and something about 'pruning whatever practices ought to be prohibited'. Even I didn't catch everything, but I got most of it."

"What's all that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Hermione replied grimly, "That the Ministry is attempting to take control of Hogwarts."


	3. Getting Settled

**Hi guys/girls! We're back just about a day after uploading chapter two. I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed the story so far. We really appreciate your support. **

**We do not own Harry Potter. Just a few OCs. **

**Note: William Chambers III, Marcus Belby, and Eddie Carmichael are not OCs. Chambers was briefly mentioned once, so I decided to give him a name somewhat of a role in the story. **

**Enjoy the chapter! **

Chapter 3

Harry could not believe what Hermione had just said. _The Ministry is trying to take over Hogwarts? How can they do that? _However, in Harry's experience, the Ministry was never particularly mindful of its legal boundaries. They would find a way to get Hogwarts under its jurisdiction, and it would not end well for anyone else.

He sensed everybody getting up from their table, and presumed that Dumbledore's had dismissed the students. Harry left quickly, deciding not to wait with Ron and Hermione, who were responsible for shepherding the students to the Gryffindor common room. He pretended to ignore the random stares and pointing from just about every student he passed, but mentally berated himself for not expecting it.

After all, it was he who just two months ago had come out of the Tri-Wizard tournament's final task, a dark maze, clutching the dead body of another student. It was he who had claimed that Voldemort had returned. It was he who was being painted as a liar and attention-seeker of questionable mental health. _"The boy who lies." Ha! I almost wish Voldemort would lay waste to the Ministry itself. That'll show them! _

Eventually, he arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor. The woman in the painting smoothed out her pink dress and looked at him vacantly. "No password, no entrance."

"Um…Uh…" _Oh, what is it? _

"Harry, I know the password!"

Harry turned around and saw Neville jogging toward him somewhat breathlessly.

"You do?" Harry asked somewhat disbelievingly.

"I remembered something for once! Mimbulus mimbletonia!"

"Correct," The Fat Lady said. With that, the portrait opened, revealing a circular hole in the wall behind it. Harry and Neville climbed through it into the Gryffindor Common Room and made their way to their dormitory.

Two of their roommates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, had beaten them there. They had been talking as they decorated the areas around their four-poster beds, but abruptly stopped when Harry entered. _Does anyone realize how telling that is? _

"Hi," Harry greeted them experimentally.

"Hi Harry," Dean replied, "Good holiday?"

"Not bad," Harry lied, "You?"

"It was okay," Dean replied. "Better than Seamus's. He was just telling me about it."

"What happened, Seamus?" Neville asked.

The sandy-haired Irish boy did not immediately reply, instead making sure his Kenmare Kestrels poster was satisfyingly straight. "Me mam tried to transfer me into a different school." He did not turn to look at Harry.

"What?"

"She didn't want me returning to Hogwarts." Still, Seamus tried to avoid eye contact.

"But…why?"

Seamus was hesitant to answer "It's because of you, Harry."

"What do you mean it's because of me?"

"Well…" Seamus still couldn't bring himself to look Harry in the eyes. "…It isn't all because of you. It's also Dumbledore."

"She believes all the rubbish the Daily Prophet is saying about him and me?! She thinks I'm a liar and he's lost his touch in old age?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He paused. "What did happen that night, anyway?"

"Why are you asking me?" Harry retorted harshly. "Read the Daily Prophet like your mum does. I'm sure it'll explain everything."

"Don't talk about my mother like that!" Seamus snapped.

"I'll talk about people as I see fit. And your mum isn't even trying to look past-"

Without warning, Seamus shoved him. "You leave my mother out of this!" He hissed threateningly.

"What's going on here?"

Ron had appeared in the doorway, clearly not expecting an ugly scene such as this. He pointed his wand in the general direction of Harry and Seamus, ignoring Dean and Neville.

"He insulted my mother!" Seamus shouted.

"What? Harry wouldn't do that. It's not like him. Don't you remember last year? We met your mother, and we got along just fine."

"But then she started believing every lie that damn newspaper printed about me!" Harry interjected.

"Oh. Well that explains a lot."

"You're insane, you know that?" Seamus told Harry.

"Just stop. Both of you." Ron ordered, "Nobody here needs this arguing."

A tense silence befell the room, as the others realized he was right. Besides, they were aware that Ron was now a prefect, and arguing with one just about never ended well for anyone. Seamus glared at Harry one last time before sulking over to his four-poster for the night.

"My gran says the Daily Prophet is a load of rubbish," Neville said. "She cancelled our subscription this summer. She says that it's the Ministry that's losing it, not Dumbledore who's losing it. For what it's worth, we believe you, Harry."

Harry nodded gratefully. Neville tended to believe whatever his grandmother said about issues like this, but it was still one more person who said he believed him. It was still something. Dean returned to decorating the area around his four-poster, not wanting to take sides. Harry found himself hoping that Umbridge's speech and the dispute in the dorm would not represent microcosms of the school year.

**(End scene) **

Ammon sulked amongst the other Ravenclaws on their way to their common room. _Well this is just great! My sister and I have been sorted into different houses, and the defense against the dark arts teacher is completely obnoxious. Not a good start to the year. _

Eventually, the students all stopped at the fifth floor of a spiral staircase leading up a tower on the West side of the school. Anthony Goldstein, a blond, Jewish fifth-year student and newly appointed prefect, tapped the door a few times with a knocker in the shape of an eagle. Instead of granting everyone access, the eagle knocker asked, "What came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

"A circle has no beginning," Anthony replied matter-of-factly.

Instantly, the door opened to a very airy room with a midnight blue carpet. Arched windows gave the students a very good view of the school grounds; allowing them to glimpse the lake, Herbology gardens, Quidditch pitch, Forbidden Forest, and the mountains that surrounded the school. Blue and bronze silks hung from the windows, and the domed ceiling was decorated with painted stars. Tables, chairs, and bookcases furnished the room, and across from the entrance, there was a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four founders of the school and the house's namesake, which marked the entrance to the dormitories.

"Uh…So which one's ours?" Ammon asked nobody in particular.

"That depends," A regal voice asked him, "What year are you in?"

Ammon turned to his left, the direction of the voice, and saw a male student about his age and height. He had close-cropped blond hair, clear blue eyes, and a friendly smile. Ammon would have frowned if the boy wasn't offering help. _I_ _can't tell whether he's being genuinely friendly or superficial. _

"Sixth."

"That's my year, too. Come on, the boys' dormitories are up the staircase to the left, and the sixth years' room is beyond the second door from the right."

Ammon followed him through the door to the boys' dormitories and up the staircase. Progress, however, was slow due to the staircase's congestion with other students. Still, in a couple of minutes, they made it to the room with seven doors, one for each year.

The other boy led Ammon through the second one from the right. Beyond that door was, as he said, the sixth years' dorm room. There were six four-poster beds, each with sky blue drapes and a rug next to it. There were also a few desks, drawers, and bookshelves. At the back of the room, there was a door that presumably led to a bathroom with a shower. Ammon noticed that his four other new roommates had beaten them there, and that his stuff had been arranged on the bed on the opposite wall closest to the entrance and exit.

Ammon nodded slowly. "Nice place."

"Indeed it is." The prefect extended his hand. "William Chambers the Third, student, quidditch chaser, and prefect, in that order precisely.

Ammon nodded and shook his hand. "Ammon Pendleton."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ammon. Now allow me to introduce…" He gestured to a thin, dark-haired boy. "Marcus Belby…" Marcus gave a shy wave. "…Eddie Carmichael…"

Another lanky, dark-haired boy, who wore his hair slightly longer in the front than Marcus, waved at Ammon. "Dose of Baruffio's Brain Elixir for five galleons?"

Ammon shook his head. "No thanks."

After a brief pause, William continued the introductions. "Ezekiel Okyoe..." A husky boy with noticeably darker skin than the others looked up at Ammon for a moment, nodded in acknowledgment of his presence, then returned to the potions book he was reading.

"…And Stéphane Chennault."

A boy with chin-length, somewhat messy chestnut hair and a roguish smile walked over to him. "You're the American, right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"What are the witches in America like? My older brother Antonin studied for a year in New Orleans and ended up going through three girlfriends there. In his letters, he said they were all very attractive. Is this true with the other witches in America?"

"Uh…It depends." _That's something Francesco would have asked. Heck, the two even look somewhat alike._

"Well then," William continued, "Now that we are all acquainted with our new roommate, it's time for a short meeting. Gather 'round, everyone!" Marcus, Eddie, Ezekiel, and Stéphane all formed a circle with William and Ammon.

"As you all know, it is our sixth year at Hogwarts. We likely have fewer classes than the first through fifth years, but more than the other sixth years." William noticed that Ammon's hand was raised. "You have a question?"

"Yeah, why do we have fewer classes than the younger students, but more than the other sixth years?"

"Well, the classes are supposed to be fewer, but more challenging, with more homework. We'll likely have more classes than the other sixth years because, as a general rule, Ravenclaws are smarter than students from the other houses, with the possible exception of Hermione Granger, so we're more likely to have qualified for more classes than other students."

Ammon nodded. "Fair enough."

"As I was saying," William continued, "We've had the highest marks collectively of all the Hogwarts years for four years running. We shouldn't have any issue making it five."

"We barely won that distinction last year," Ezekiel pointed out, "And we nearly killed each other to do it."

"Because some of you got competitive with each other," William replied, "Let's try not to do that again this year. We're supposed to be friends."

Ezekiel nodded, although Ammon detected a slight trace of resentment in his eyes.

"Okay," William continued, "So to recap, it's our sixth year, classes will be fewer, but a bit more challenging, homework will be more, but easily manageable for Ravenclaw geniuses like us, we're going to be the smartest dorm in Hogwarts yet again, and do it without fighting. There, that covers it."

"Celebratory drink?" Eddie asked.

"What's that, Eddie?" William asked.

"I nicked a few bottles of firewhiskey when my dad wasn't looking." He held one of them for the others to see. "Ogden's."

Stéphane's eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you smuggle that in here?"

"I have my ways," Eddie replied vaguely.

"Eh, you guys go ahead," Ammon replied, "I took a sip of that stuff last year once when I was fourteen and nobody was looking." He shuddered at the memory. "It tasted so bad."

Eddie shrugged and opened his bottle of firewhiskey. "Suit yourself." He turned back to the others. "Alright, all of us are going to put five galleons in the center of this circle, and whoever can down their bottle first wins the lot."

Ammon left them to their drinking game and took from one of his bags a poster of the American Quidditch League's Denver Dragons. He used a permanent sticking charm so that it would stay on the wall. Stepping back, he admired the poster, which depicted chasers Alejandro Arroyo, Kenneth Hastings, and Alton Pryor passing the quaffle amongst themselves, right over the heads of the chasers of the Dragons' hated rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds. The action sequence ended with Pryor luring the goalie away from the left ring, then passing the quaffle to Hastings, who netted an easy ten points.

"You all pay them back for beating you in the semifinals this season, okay?"

"I win!" William declared jovially, spiking his now-empty bottle of firewhiskey on the ground and shattering it.

"Do you have any more of that stuff, Eddie?" Stéphane asked.

"I'm afraid not. But I think Roger Davies might."

"If he does, do you think he'll mind?" Marcus asked.

"He won't," William replied, "I know Roger. He and I are on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, remember? He'd be more than happy to share. That is, if he actually has some firewhiskey with him. He's old enough to drink and buy it legally now."

Eddie headed for the door, having finished his own firewhiskey. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's do this!"

"You three finish what you've got before joining us." Eddie told Marcus, Stéphane, and Ezekiel, "We're not really supposed to do this." He turned to Ammon. "Care to join?"

"Nah, I'm good. Again, I've had a bad experience with firewhiskey."

"Oh, lighten up!" Eddie tried to cajole Ammon, "It's your first night at the greatest school in the universe! Surely you don't plan to squander it all studying, do you?"

"I didn't plan to study the entire time. I'm not an antisocial bookworm." _At least, not when you get to know me and you seem like someone whose company I would enjoy._ "But getting totally plastered isn't exactly on my to-do list."

William shrugged. "Whatever you say."

He and Eddie left, with Marcus hurrying behind them, as he had finished his firewhiskey. That left Stéphane, who was nearly finished, and Ezekiel, who was taking his time and had only gotten about halfway through his drink.

Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, Ammon sat down on his bed and remembered the envelope Gray Sky had given him. "Accio envelope." In moments, the envelope floated into his hand. Ammon opened it and unfolded the parchment within.

**Dear Ammon, **

**It's so weird not having you here at school. We miss you already. We just hope you have a good time at Hogwarts. Don't forget to make new friends. Write to us, okay? We're just an owl away. **

**Your friends, **

**Noah, Cara, Francesco, Paolo, and Rafael. **

**P.S. If you meet any hot girls overseas, let me know right away and send a picture. –Francesco**

Ammon chuckled. _Classic Francesco. _Ammon looked out the nearest window, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see a thing. _I already miss you guys. But I'll still enjoy my time at Hogwarts. _He smiled, convinced that he knew what he had signed up for.

**(End scene)**

Avery gazed around her new dorm room timidly. It was in the shape of an oval, illuminated with silver lanterns dangling from the ceiling, and with a quartet of old four-poster beds along the walls. Green, silk drapes hung from them. Next to each bed was a dresser for storing clothes and other belongings. Slytherin crests adorned the walls. In the silence of the room, Avery could hear water from the lake gently hitting the windows. (Part of the Slytherin common room and the dorms were located underneath the lake.)

She thought about how badly the night had gone. She and her brother had once again been sorted into different houses, and from what she had heard earlier, now nobody she met on the Hogwarts express would want anything to do with her. She remembered how venomously Ginny had spoken about the house of Slytherin, to the point where she had to make a mental note to ask Ammon what some of the unfamiliar words the red-haired girl had said meant. She, Harry, and Neville had all seemed nice when Avery met them, but now that she had been sorted into their rival house, it would likely no longer be the case.

And how would Ammon respond to the hat's decision? Did he believe what Ginny had said about how bad Slytherin students were? Would be want nothing at all to do with her now?

"I knew you seemed a bit old for a first year," One of her two roommates said.

Avery turned around, having zoned out too much to notice the people around her. She saw that it was a girl with curly brown hair who had made the comment.

"That's because I'm a second year," Avery replied somewhat irritably.

"Then how come-Oh that's right, you're American." The girl put on a black headband to keep her hair out of her face. "My name's Catherine, by the way, but I prefer to be called Cat."

"I'm Avery."

"Nice to meet you." Cat paused momentarily. "You're lucky the hat placed you in Slytherin, by the way. We're the best house in Hogwarts."

_You sure about that?_ "What's wrong with the other three?"

Another girl, this one with blonde, shoulder-length hair, answered the question before Cat could. "Ravenclaws are know-it-alls who won't treat you with any respect if they think you're not as smart as them, Hufflepuffs are weak, and Gryffindors…" Cat's voice suddenly took on a more venomous tone, not unlike Ginny's when talking about the Slytherins. "Gryffindors are just awful. They hate us because of our heritage and because we actually want to reach our full potential as wizards. They act like ambition is a bad thing. What do they expect us to do? Settle for some job as the caretaker at some lesser school? No thank you."

"My brother got sorted into Ravenclaw, and he doesn't treat me badly because I'm not as smart as him. And Luna Lovegood doesn't seem very smart at all."

"Jessica's right." Cat gestured to the blonde girl for emphasis. "You just wait. By the end of the year, he'll be so full of himself and his intelligence that he won't take you seriously again. And Loony's just plain mental, so she isn't a good example."

"My brother and I sat with a few Gryffindors on the train. They seemed really nice."

"That's because they didn't know you'd end up as a Slytherin," Jessica explained. "Had you been sorted into any of the other two houses, they wouldn't have an issue with you. But now you're a Slytherin, and they probably hate you because of it."

Avery frowned. "You're sure of this?"

"Positive. You don't want to be friends of people like them, anyway. They're no big loss to you. At Hogwarts, you've got to make good decisions when it comes to friendships. Cat and I can help you out there."

Avery did not need to take long to make a decision. Cat seemed nice enough, although Jessica seemed more than a little spiteful toward the other houses. Then again, so had Ginny, who likely wouldn't want anything to do with her now that she was in Slytherin, assuming Cat and Jessica were correct. _Everybody needs friends, and I might not get an opportunity like this later. What could go wrong? _

"What do you say?" Cat asked.

She smiled. "That sounds great."


End file.
